Guide for correcting typewriting



Patented July 6, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GUIDE FOR oonnnorrNG TYPEWRITING Robert L. Pyner, Roselle Park, N. IL Application February 6, 1945, Serial No. 576,495

2 Claims.

This invention relates to novel means for making'accurate corrections on typewritten material.

Frequently errors are discovered or corrections are desired to be made in typewritten material after it has been removed from the typewriter, or after the paper has been removed from its original position on the typewriter roll. When the sheet to be corrected is re-inserted in the typewriter or re-positioned, it is very difiicult, in spite of exercising great care, to place the corrected letter or letters in precisely the proper position, i. e., neither too high nor too low nor too much to the right 01" left. The result is that it is always quite apparent from the corrected sheet that a correction has been made.

It is the primary object of this invention to eliminat inisplacement of corrected letters, and it is another object of the invention to provide a quick and simple method for making the correction in exactly the right position.

Broadly, the invention comprises providing means for indicating and duplicating the exact horizontal and vertical space relation of typewritten letters or other symbols as typed on each particular typewriter. One modification of the invention is a guide consisting of a small rectangular strip or a transparent plastic "such as cellulose acetate, having 'a' size of about 1 inch or so high and inch or so wide and having a thickness of about 10 to 15 mils, on which are marked in some visible manner one or more letters or other symbols of the same size, such as pica, elite, etc., as the type on the typewriter on which it is to be used. This guide is then attached to the typewriter in asuitable position, such as on either the right or left line scale.

The objects and advantagesof the invention will be better understood from the following more detailed description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which is intended to be illustrative but not restrictive.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a front *view of a section of a line scale of one kind of typewriter (not shown) with the transparent guide attached in position; Figure 2 is an end view corresponding to Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a front view of a similar transparent guide attached to the right line scale of a different kind of a typewriter. In the various figures, like numerals represent like parts.

Referring to Figure 1, the clear, colorless, transparent guide I is shown with a quarter inch or so of its lower edge attached to the top of the right-hand line scale 2 of a typewriter, the rest of which is not shown. Numeral 3 indicates a 2 pair of small letters a and e separatedby one horizontal typing space marked near th top of the guide I.

Figure 2, which is an end View corresponding to Figure 1, shows how the transparent guide I may be attached to the line scale 2 by means of a suitable adhesive 4', the nature of which will of course depend upon the type of substance used in making the guide i. For instance, if the guide I is made of cellulose acetate, the adhesive 4 may be any of the cellulosic cements con taining a volatile solvent and capable of adhering to metaLsuch as are available on the market, as for example the so-called airplane glue, solvent solutions of cellulose acetate, cellulose nitrates, etc.

In Figure 3, a transparent guide I is shown attached to the right-hand line scale 20f a-different kind of typewriter than is represented in Figure 1, and this guide shows a similar pair'of guide letters 3 as shown in Figure 1.

In carrying out the invention, the first step. is to fasten the transparent guide I in exactly the correct position on the line scale 2. This is-done in the following manner. A sheet of paper. is insertedin the typewriter and one or'more'letters or other desired symbols are typed thereon and then, while holding the transparent guide in approximately the desired position, as sug-- gested in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawing, the typewriter roll is moved, for instance 1 space up and 4 over, till'the letter which has-been typed on the paper coincides with the letter on. the transparent guide, the roll being thus movedonly with the automatic or regular spacing dc vices, without any variable spacing of any motion of the paper relative to the roll (i. e., withthe paper release locked). The roll is then :kept in that position while a thin film of adhesive is applied to the back lower edge of the transpar ent guide and then the latter'is affixed along the top edge of the line scale as shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawing, making sure that the letter marked on the transparent guide now 'abso lutely exactly coincides with the letter typed on the paper in the typewriter. The adhesive is permittedto dry or harden and then the typewriter is ready for use.

In using the correction guide according to' this invention, after it has been properly affixed to the line scale as described above, when a typing error is discovered or a correction desired to be made-the operator, after making erasures necessary', simply lines up the fullline of typing containing the error (making sure that theiine ifrom 3 right to left is level), then lines up the letters such as a e appearing on the guide either with some identical letter or letters appearing on the typewriten sheet preferably near where the correction is to be made, or else lines up the two letters a e appearing on the guide just as they would fall into the typewritten line actually Where the correction is to be made. For instance, if in typing the word hill the operator had inadvertently typed e instead of i, he would erase the e and then reinsert the paper in the typewriter, moving it until the place where the correction is to be made or a nearby place containing a letter a or e (or other symbol identical with those on the guide), coincides approximately with the letters a e on thetransparent guide, then he opens the paper release Instead of using a transparent sheet material for the guide, a semi-transparent one may be used, for instance colored plastics.

Although in the drawing the guide is shown attached to the line scale on the right side of the center of the typewriter, it may optionally be used on the left side, or if desired, a guide may be used on both the right side and the left side or even an arch-shaped guide might be used with one footing attached to the left; line scale and one to the" right line scale and with the guide symbols directly above the typing position. The means for fastening the guide to the line scale rnay not only be by the use of an adhesive aid such as those mentioned above, but also by clamps 1 either operated by springs or screws, or riveting,

on the roll to permit the paper to move loosely,

and adjusts the paper so that the letters hi or the nearby letter a or e (or other symbol) on the typewritten paper coincide exactly with the letters a e of the transparent guide. While holding the paper in exactly that position the paper release is locked thereby fastening the paper on' the roll exactly in rhythm or harmony with the regular mechanical spacings on the typewriter, and all that remains then is to turn the rolland slide it, using only the regular mechanical spacings, until the space where the letter i is to be typed comes into typing position; When the letter is then typed, it will be found in exactly correct position, both horizontally and vertically between the letters h" and l.

The invention thus provides a very quick'and easy or fool-proof method of making neat and accurate corrections.

A number of modifications of the invention may bemade without departing from the broader scope of the invention. For instance, instead of using cellulose acetate as transparent sheet material, other transparent materials may be'used such as isinglassor mica, vinyl polymers, polyacrylates, cellulose-nitrates, ethyl cellulose, polystyrene, etc. Although the shape of the guide has been indicated as preferably rectangular, and preferably a vertically elongated rectangular shape, other shapes may be used such as a triangle with one fiat side parallel to and overlapping on the line scaleof the typewriter, or such a triangular shape may be used with the upper point cut oil. A semi-circular shape may also be used, with the flat edge attached to the line scale. Regardless of the shape of the guide, it should in general'b'e about to 1%; inches high and V to 4 inches wide on the base, and preferably about A, to 1 inch high and about /8 to /2 inch long.

Although the markings on the guide preferably'consist of two letters separated by at least one space, only a single letter or symbol may be used, or three or more symbols may be used. The marking may be printed or typed, stamped, engraved, etched, solvent colored or otherwise marked on the transparent guide. The letters or other symbols marked on the guide may be colored black, red, blue, white or any other suitable color, black being preferred. If desired, the symbols may be separated by more than one space; the'alignment of the spaced symbols may be either horizontal or vertical; and various other symbols may be used as: capital letters, numerals, horizontal line marks such as underscoring, and vertical marks such as apostrophes, or other odd marks such as a circle, a square, an asterisk, etc..

etc. vIf desired, various location-adjusting means maybe used for adjusting the guide to the proper place on'the line scale, such as by the use of notches, holes, pins, etc.

Although it has been generally indicated albove that the guide should be attached to the line scale, it may be held in a position which is similarly close to the place where the keys strike the roll, by any other suitable means, and may either be permanently thus held or attached, or may be only removably attached, in such a way that it can be readily removed and replaced, for instance only when needed to make a correction, in exactly correct position by suitable locationadjusting means as mentioned above.

-It is not intended that this invention be limited to the specific modifications of the invention described merely for the sake of illustration, .but only by the appended claims in which it is intended to claimall novelty inherent in the invention as wellas all modifications coming within the scope and spirit of the invention.

Whatis claimed is: I

1. A typewriterihaving fastened to its line scale on'only one side of the printing point, a guide consisting ofa transparent strip about A, to 1 inch high and about to /2 inch wide, having marked thereon in opaque marking, at least one pair of letters separated by one typing space, the loca-. tion of said guide being adjusted so that said letters marked on said guide coincide exactly both vertically and horizontally with letters typed on paper in the typewriter.

2. A typewriter having fastened to its line scale on only one side of the printing point, a guide consisting of a piece of transparent sheet material having at least one opaque symbol marked thereon, the location of said guide being adjusted so that saidsymbol'marked on said guide coincides exactly both'vertically and horizontally with letters typed on paper in the typewriter.

ROBERT L. PYNER.-

REFERENCES orrEn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 48,7 15 Switzerland 1909 

